managing Mondeuse

A barn mate observed the other night that Doozy is looking.... slightly portly these days lol, and it got me thinking about how much has changed (or not, as the case may be) in her management and care over the last year. 

Now seems as good a time as any to do a roundup on her general care and feeding too -- esp going into winter. So! Here's the rundown on our current management protocol, and how it's shifted (or not) over time. 

pic from sunday. pretty pleased with the current plushness of her upholstery!

Nutrition

Both horses actually got pretty significant feed upgrades when they moved -- since the new barns each offer selections of high quality feeds included in board, omg. 

I had cut back to a fairly generic (but still good quality) locally produced senior feed + balancer for both after bringing Doozy home. But now Doozy is eating Nutrena Pro Force Fuel XF, and loving it. New barn manager recommended ditching the balancer too, as her nutritionist says it's unnecessary with this particular food. Fine by me!

some of this summer's epic grass definitely improved her condition!

At this point in her life, Doozy does not have any added supplements in her daily meals. There's been decent grass for most of the summer, drought permitting obvi, and she gets lots of hay in her stall. She's still on the summer schedule - out overnight and stalled during daytime - and that will reverse at some point in the coming weeks presumably.

Gastric Support 

All that said, however, any horse who regularly spends time trailering will be more prone to ulcers. Doozy isn't particularly symptomatic but it's something I'll always worry about. We did a lengthy Ulcergard protocol when she first came home, and then again about 6 months later. More or less as par for the course, ya know? 

Right now we're in more of a 'management' phase, so she mostly just gets a half tube of ulcergard the day before travel, and maybe a quarter tube the day of and/or day after, depending on what the schedule looks like. 

it's not the cheapest "insurance" around town... but definitely better than a few alternatives!

I also recently introduced sucralfate into the management picture -- aiming to give her a dose each day I see her, and up to 2-3 doses on travel/show days (again, scheduling dependent). My understanding is that it acts as a protective barrier and can increase comfort during trailer travel or strenuous activity like running and jumping. 

A finicky detail, however, is that these properties mean it can also prevent absorption of any other medicines given to the horse - including omeprazole, for example. So the order and timing of this stuff matters. 

Tho, as usual -- I am NOT a professional, and my knowledge / understanding is therefore limited to my own consultations and experiences. Definitely check in with your vet about what might work best for your own situation!

flashback to august 2023 -- with her massive cellulitis infection in that stovepipe leg
also a useful comparison to her current condition in the pic above!

Veterinary / Farrier / Dentistry

Doozy has not (*knocking on wood*) required significant veterinary attention beyond that cellulitis issue, a month of robaxin last winter, and a few nasty wounds she picked up at the last place. Mostly we're just on the routine wellness plan for spring / fall shots etc., and a worming protocol informed by a fecal sample last spring. Doozy was a moderate shedder, so was wormed in spring and summer, and will be again this fall. Overall, we are grateful the new barn is still within my preferred vet practice's service area!!

Not quite so lucky in the shoeing department -- Charlie got to keep his farrier but Doozy moved too far away.  We've had to make a few changes, but I'm hopeful about our current path. She's still in just the two shoes up front and will likely stay that way through winter. Barring anything unforeseen, we'll reevaluate in the spring to see if she's ready for more support. For now, she's on a roughly 5wk schedule.

we made some changes after repeated reliability issues resulted in constant end-of-cycle (ie preventable) lost shoes 

She saw the dentist almost immediately upon coming home last August, and then again right before we moved in June. I'll probably keep her on the 9-12month cycle barring any compelling reason to schedule sooner. 

Saddles, Bridles & Bits, Oh My!

Moving on from the management of the horse's physical wellbeing, let's talk about the various critical pieces of equipment she wears!

The County Solution monoflap saddle I picked up last April has worked great for us. A major relief, given it was way more than I budgeted, plus the fitting process wasn't hugely satisfactory either... Ain't that always the way??

not gonna lie, i secretly wanted another french saddle and was annoyed this fitter seemed to only want to look at County saddles... but this hunk of leather has really grown on me!!

It came due for an expected reflock after about 5 months (and probably 150lbs+ on the mare), so I was able to get back in touch with a different fitter from my past who came out and did a lovely job -- plus reaffirmed that it's likely to be a saddle that suits us both for years to come. Whew!

For bridling, I continue to love this anatomic and highly adjustable Montar bridle that I picked up from consignment for $80. It doesn't seem to be available from Montar at the moment, tho to be honest I don't think Montar actually produced it --- I've seen an exactly identical bridle with different logos from friends who have used private bridle fitters. The V-shaped crownpiece in particular is a real winner for Doozy, who kinda has an oddly shaped poll.

Bitting, tho. Ehhhhh I'm less satisfied with our current situation here and expect to do a lot more experimentation. We started in a fairly standard loose ring Sprenger KK, my most favorite vanilla snaffle. It's not much in the way of braking power, tho, so this summer I upgraded to a basic French link snaffle, still loose ring. 

i'm going to do more investigating around this bridle to see if i can scare up shorter cheek pieces to accommodate different types of bits, will let you know what i find out!

I dunno, tho. I've never had good hands anyway, plus Doozy has a deeply ingrained tendency to get completely inverted and retracted in her neck. A running martingale helps in terms of keeping the mare from knocking my frickin teeth out mid-ride... But that's more of a band-aid than an actual solution. 

One of my coaches has encouraged me to experiment with a nathe, which I'm eager to do once I can get my hands on one. I'm also curious about trying different cheek pieces. Like maybe something really mild in the mouth, like a nathe or happy mouth, but with some leverage in the cheek pieces for braking assistance as needed? 

Idk. I'll try some stuff and see what Doozy says about it lol. We all know she has no problem expressing her opinions!! lol... 

Grooming & Other Miscellany

Doozy's skin continues to confound me. Her rainrot this summer was like nothing I've ever seen, at one point it was like actual moss on her skin. Not gonna lie, had the horse not been under my care, I'd have judged the F out of whoever was responsible for her. Except. Lol, that'd be me, whoops! Lessons, guys, I continue to learn lessons with this horse.... 

remember when doozy was basically a leper when i met her last summer? surprise surprise, it happened again this summer too!

Granted, it was a difficult season and just about every horse I know had some degree of skin funk at one point or another. But Doozy is next level. Fortunately, it seems like it's just July / August that's particularly troublesome -- so hopefully we're in the clear for the next ~10months...

I haven't decided about body clipping her this winter yet. Still gotta figure out what the blanketing situation will look like at the new place. Also, she really didn't grow too much hair last winter and isn't as nasty of a sweaty beast as Charles. So we might just keep it simple. 

And in terms of body work.. Haven't done a lot in that regard yet, but that's next on the list. In an ideal world, the body wellness work would be a constant and ongoing pursuit... But guys, it's been an expensive summer. 

seems to be doing quite well with her current situation!

The timing is right, tho, as the horse has improved her condition considerably, and is in regular and consistent work with all that entails re: muscle usage. Esp with the saddle recently refit, she should be physically in more of a place of stasis (ie, less constant change / development) from which we can get a better sense of what she needs. Stay tuned for more on that soon...

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So, yea. That's basically the full picture of Doozy's day to day life and management at this point. Unless I missed something? Anything remarkably different (or the same??) with your situation?